John h



1-. H. JAMES, Jr.

Railroad-Car Truck.

Patented Jah. 12, 1869.

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24277165565,- c6. @4145, I a? saw JOHN H. JAMES, Ja; or URBANA, OHIO.

Letterslaient No. 85,829, dated January 12, 1869. v

IMPROVED MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING- FREIGHT.

'The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To allwhoin it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. JAMES, J r., of Urbana,

in the county of Ohampaign, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improved Apparatus for Transferring the Bodies of Cars from Broad to N arrow-Gauge Tracks; and I do hereby declare that the following is aiull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this speci fication, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved apparatus for transferring the bodies of cars from broad to narrow-gauge tracks, and vice verse.

Figure 2 is a perspective view'of the upper part of the frame, with which the trucks are connected, and upon which the body of the car rests. 1

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the under side of a car-body adapted to my improved apparatus.

'Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the longitudinal pieces on the top of the running gear, and on the bottom of the car-body, when the body is. on the running ear.

g Similar letters represent like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to transfer freight or passengers fi'om broad to narrow-gauge roads, or rice 'vcrsa, without breaking bulk or changing cars, or, in other words, to transfer the bodies of cars with their contents from trucks adapted to run on a narrow-gauge road to trucks adapted to run on broad-gauge roads, or vice versa, thus economizing time and labor, and saving loss and damage to freight.

The car is to be built'in two partsone upper part, consisting of a body proper, and a lower part, consisting of a frame, which is mounted upon the trucks, and which is adapted, by its form and construction, to re- 'ceive and carry the body of the car.

This frame consists of end-beams, longitudinal floorbeams, bolsters, to connect the frame 'with the trucks, and bumpers, and is mounted upon four, six, or eight wheel trucks, in the ordinary way,

The upper part, or car-body prope'f, is constructed 7 in the ordinary manner, with side, end, and floor-beams, independent of those forming the frame of the lower part, the side and end-beams of the former being so constructed as to rest upon the latter, while the floorbeams of the upper and lower portions fit side by side, as shown in section in fig. 5.

The adjacent edges of these beams are bevelled, so that they may find'their places readily when one frame is lowered upon the other, and the whole is stayed by rods, or otherwise, so as to resist all strains, while at the same time the parts will be made as light as they can safely be built.

The parts of the car thus constructed are secured to each other by keys or bolts, as shown at E, fig. 2, or in any equivalent manner, so that they may be readily detached when the parts are to be separated, or so that they may be' firmly fastened together-when the .car is running. 1

The transfer of the car-body is effectedin the following manner:

thereof, or at any other-convenient point on the outside of the car, a small flanged wheel, of about one foot nals, the shafts extending from side to sideof the car,

preferred.

There may be two of these wheels on each side, or their number may be increased by intermediate wheels.

little as possible from the side of the car, and both wheels and axles should be madeassmalland light as is consistent with strength, and the purpose for which they are designed.

junctions between roads of different gauges, where transfers are to be made, a side-track must be provided, having broad and narrow-gauge tracks on the same cross-ties, the narrow-gauge rails being laid within the broad, and at equal distances from them, as shown in narrowed, so that the flanges of the wheels of the respective trucks will make a pretty close or accurate fit. On each side of the side-track so prepared, an ele vated track (fig. 1) is laid on a wall, or on piles, or framing.

This track is to be of such a height that when the car-body is suspended upon it by means of the small wheels, it will be raised sufficiently to disengage the two frames, and permit the trucks and lower frame to be readily drawn from beneath it. "i

This elevated track terminates in an inch ed plane, shown at fig. 1, the bottom of which is below he wheels 0 O O 0, when the car is resting upon its trucks, so that as the car is run toward the elevated track, the rails upon the inclined plane will pass below the wheels 0 O O O, and as the car ispushed forward, the bolts connecting the upper and lower portions having been drawn or removed, the car-body will mount the inclined trucks and lower frame remain upon the rails below.

frame with trucks of a diiferent gauge is run under the car-body.

The two are then drawn backward together, and the car-body, running down the inclined plane, settles on the lower frame and new set of trucks.

It is evident that cars intended to be transferred in this manner should be made of uniform length and width, and. the latter may be a compromise between the present width of broad and narrow-gauge car-bodies, so that the running gear and bodies of all such cars may be interchangeable.

At or near each end of the car, and near the floor in diameter, or less, is hung upon shafts in proper jouror projecting only from theside of the car, as may be It is, of course, desirable that they should project as At each point on the road,'or at'in'tersections or fig. 1, the gauge of both sets of tracks being slightly plane, and pass upon the elevated track, while the Thetrucks and frame are then withdrawn, and a.

The brakes maybe constructed in the ordinary In anner, except that the vertical iron rod is to be divided near the lower end, one of the parts being provided with a socket, into which the other part is made to fit.

This socket may be made square, or may be made round, the parts being secured by a pin onkcy.

For the purpose of transferring a number of cars at the same time, two pushers are attached to each end of the car-body, near the lower corner, one pusher being placed oneach side.

This pusher is shown at D '1), l aml 3, and consists of a block hinged to the end of the car, so that it may be folded back or inward when not in use. It is of'a size corresponding to the beams of the car-body, of which it is a substantial prolongation. Its length should be sufiicient to enable the roller upon its outer end to touch the adjacent car-body when the bumpers touch.

When two or more cars are to be transterred at the same time, the rear pu'shcrs are folded back, the forward pushers projecting when the cars are brought together, the bumpers touch, and the ibrwaul pushers come in contact with the car-body next in front.

As eachcar ascends the inclined plane, the pnshers rise, and the rollers enable them to adapt themselves to all changes of positions.

If the elasticity of the bumpers should cause any difficulty in adjusting the cars, similar pushers might be used upon the lower frame of the ear to regulate the distance between adjacent trucks.

In transferring several cars at once, in order to keep them in constant contact, and to preserve the proper relative distances between them, and prevent too rapid descent of the incline, the following mode should he observed:

A car which is not to be transibrred should first be pushed on to the side-track, between the elevated rails, and down to a certain point, where it should be stopped by some fixed obstacle, or, what would be preferable at large stations where there was nmch transferring, a

small open car, similar to a lime or coal-car, might be iiermanently kept there. The cars to be transferred should the}! be pushed in, so as to keep them in contact until they are stopped by the above-mentioned car, which may be called, for convenience, the base-car. The lower parts of the cars to be transferred, being then pulled out by the engine, the new running gear of different gauge would then be pushed in, until they came in contact with the base-ea1',when they would each be under their proper bodies. A rope shbuld then be extended from the base-car, in the realr, to the engine, and the cars being thus held togethei, and in contact, and the engine preventing too rapid descent of the inclinc, each ear-body, as it descended, would settle upon its own running gear.

Though freight-cars have been specially described, yet the foregoing plan is equally applicable to passenger-ears, or to transfers of cars to other running gear of the same gauge, when the length of the road or run might make it desirable to use more than one set of wheels.

It might also be employed to transfer the bodies of cars to terry-boats or other vessels.

Having; thus described my invention,

What I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is' I l. The car-body B, removable from its trucks, and having the caster-wheels U G, as shown, in combination with elevated and exterior rails, substantially as aml for the purpose descril'ied.

.2. The elevated tracks, in combination with the described,

3;. The adjustable pushing-pieces D D, proi'ided with wheels, as shown, in combination with the removable car-body B, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN [-1. JAMES, JR.

\Vitnesses J AMES MooRs, E. G. HALL.

tracks G and 11, substantially as and for the purpose 

